Dr. Don Louis Ivey

Dr. Don Louis Ivey, 90, passed away peacefully at the family home on Saturday, July 18, leaving behind a remarkable legacy of innovation, music, storytelling, compassion, and unwavering love for people. His life was one of extraordinary accomplishments, but those who knew him best would tell you that his greatest achievement was never found in awards, titles, or inventions. It was found in the countless lives he touched through his kindness, generosity, curiosity, and love for family and friends.

A gathering of family and friends will be held on Monday July 27, 2026, from 11:30 AM until 1:00 PM, at Miguez Funeral Home in Jennings, LA. A funeral service will be held the same day at 1:00 PM. He will be laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Miguez Funeral Home.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, to Alvis Durward Ivey and Edythe Mae Hart Ivey, Don had an inquisitive mind from an early age. He loved asking questions, solving problems, and discovering how things worked.

On March 6, 1982, Don married the love of his life, Cynthia Stagg. Together they shared more than 44 years of marriage built on love, laughter, faith, adventure, and steady devotion.

Cynthia credits her dear friend, Nancy Tabb Marcantel, with insisting she meet “this Texas engineer” 46 years ago despite Cynthia believing they would have “nothing in common.” Time beautifully proved otherwise. That introduction blossomed into a marriage that created decades of treasured memories, and a family bound together by love.

Don is lovingly survived by his devoted wife, Cynthia; his daughters, Donna Ivey McIlveen, Melody Clark Barlow (Jamie), and Rachel Howell; his son, Ray Ivey; his bonus son, Ronnie Collins; his grandchildren, Jordan McIlveen, Preston Ivey (Daniel), and Whitney Barlow (BriAnn); and his great-grandson, Casper Ivey, who will celebrate his first birthday this September; his sister, Linda; his brother, Michael; his brother-in-law, Philip Stagg; and many cherished nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and by two sons-in-law, Stan Barlow and Richard McIlveen.

Don was also grateful for his dear friend and loyal caregiver toward the end of his life, Cordell Lejeune, and his longtime secretary, Cindy Troutman, whose friendship, loyalty, humor, and support blessed Don’s life over 16 years.

Don genuinely delighted in hearing other people’s stories and believed every family had a history worth preserving. He developed a lifelong passion for genealogy, researching family roots, recording treasured memories, and writing down family stories and lore so future generations would know where they came from. His love of history, writing, and storytelling became just as much a part of his legacy as his engineering achievements.

Long before becoming an internationally respected engineer, Don’s creative spirit found expression through music. As a young man, he performed as a solo guitarist and singer in coffee houses throughout Texas, delighting audiences with his warm personality and easygoing style. Later, he teamed up with his close friend Clark Coleman, and together they performed as The Louis and Clark Expedition, entertaining audiences across the region.

Inspired by the famous Bevo prank by Aggie students in 1963, Don wrote the song “The Ballad of Bevo,” which Louis and Clark recorded and performed throughout Aggieland. Years later, the song remained a beloved piece of Texas A&M folklore, and perfectly reflected Don’s clever wit and playful personality.

Professionally, Don devoted his life to making highway travel safer.

After earning his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Lamar State College of Technology, he completed both his Master of Engineering and Ph.D. in Structural Engineering and Structural Mechanics at Texas A&M University. During his distinguished career, he served as Associate Director of the Texas Transportation Institute, as a Department Head in Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University, and as Director of the TTI Proving Grounds, where groundbreaking crash testing helped shape transportation safety standards that continue protecting millions of motorists today. His career with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute established him as one of the nation’s leading highway safety engineers, conducting research that transformed roadway safety and helped save countless lives.

In 1976, Don founded Scientific Inquiry, his own highway safety engineering consulting firm. What began as a vision grew into a successful company that he led for the next 50 years. Don loved engineering so much that retirement never truly appealed to him. He continued consulting, solving complex problems, mentoring younger engineers, and contributing to highway safety until just a few months before his passing.

Don’s reputation for excellence extended far beyond Texas. He became an internationally recognized speaker, advisor, and consultant in the field of highway safety engineering with a special focus on wet weather accidents. Attorneys sought his expertise from Alaska to Maine and California to Florida, relying on his knowledge in some of the nation’s most complex transportation and highway safety cases. Even in the final months of his life, the phone continued to ring with attorneys, engineers, and colleagues seeking his guidance - a reflection of the extraordinary respect he had earned throughout his career.

Over the course of his career, Don authored more than 100 technical publications, earned numerous patents and professional honors, advised government agencies, served on national and international transportation committees, and mentored generations of engineers whose work continues to make roads safer today.

Although the world knew him as “Dr. Ivey,” those closest to him knew him by many names. Depending on who he was with, he answered to “Brazos”, “Pa”, “Papa Grande”, “Cow Pappy”, “Popaw”, “Dr. Baby”, and “Precious”. Each nickname reflected a different relationship, a different season of life, and another person fortunate enough to experience his love and humor. No matter what name you call Don, you could count on being greeted with a warm smile, a quick story, and a genuine interest in your life.

Outside the office, Don enjoyed playing tennis and golf. He also proudly volunteered with ARF-LA, quietly giving his time and heart to animals who needed a second chance. One of his greatest joys was riding around town in his beloved purple truck with his two large rescue dogs, his GIRLS, never happier than when they were by his side.

The old saying, “All hat and no cattle” certainly didn’t apply to Don. He and Cynthia purchased raw land overlooking Kyle Field in College Station to support Cynthia‘s family horse operation in Louisiana. They named the small road and the property “Capstone.” To this day, that property is one of the best spots to enjoy the sights and sounds of Aggieland.

When Don’s father died and left him a priceless Brahma bull named “Uncle” along with his herd, the cattle joined the Louisiana herd. After Cynthia‘s father passed away sometime later, Don and Cynthia relocated from Texas to Louisiana so that she could assume management of her father‘s cattle ranch.

Even though Don continued a busy working and travel schedule, he assisted Cynthia hands-on with any activity on the ranch that he could. Don was no stranger to driving a tractor, pulling a calf, assisting with roundups of a herd that had strayed, or hauling a transport trailer for a specialized veterinary treatment.

And at the end of a busy day on the ranch, Don would finish by singing the best cowboy song you’d ever hear!

During the final month of his life, Don was surrounded by an extraordinary team of caregivers whose compassion brought comfort, dignity, and peace to the family home. The family is especially grateful to Diana, whose devoted care, gentle presence, and unwavering support were a constant source of comfort throughout nearly the entire last month of Don’s life. Heartfelt appreciation is also extended to Amanda Daigle, Janet, Kimberly, Winter, and Mattie, whose loving care and faithful service helped make Don’s final days peaceful, comfortable, and filled with dignity. Their kindness will always be remembered with deep gratitude.

The love and devotion shown by his family, friends, and caregivers during his final days reflected the very life Don had lived. After spending decades preserving family stories, encouraging others, mentoring students, and rescuing animals, he was surrounded by people who loved him deeply and cared for him with the same compassion he had shown throughout his life. It was a beautiful reflection of a life well lived.

Don showed us that true greatness is not measured by what we achieve for ourselves, but by what we leave behind in the lives of others.

Though our hearts grieve his absence, we are profoundly grateful for the privilege of having known and loved him.

His roads made our journeys safer. His stories preserved our past. His music brought us joy. His generosity enriched our lives. And his love will remain in our hearts forever. His journey on this earth has ended, but the impact of his life will continue for generations.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to ARF-LA (Animal Rescue Foundation of Louisiana), P.O. Box 488, Jennings, LA 70546 or through Venmo @arfla-arfla. In honoring Don’s lifelong love for animals, these gifts will help continue the work of providing rescue, care, and second chances to animals in need.